Wednesday, 24 April 2013

The Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver is a geodesic dome housing a lovely biodome and bird sanctuary. It's also surrounded by beautiful parkland, but the day we visited (in January) was so cold and blustery that we didn't spare much time for exploring outside, preferring to spend our time in the subtropical temperatures within.

The first thing that struck me was that we were given a small paper map of the building... with the different parrot and macaw species marked as spots on the map. Now, the first thing I ever remember learning in a geography class was the basic premise of not including moving objects on a map. And as we started our tour, the parrots were indeed in their allocated spaces. I'll confess, I was worried. Had they had their wings clipped, or been fastened down in some way? I was soon reassured - they're just really well-trained, and always fed at their "home" locations to remind them. But we did see one or two take the initiative to flap around the conservatory.

My favourites, though, were the little birds like zebra finches, which fluttered around all over the place. You could get really close while they fed on seeds and fruit, and even a couple of over-enthusiastic young kids barely perturbed them.

A great day out, and a nice way to stay warm and dry during the chilly Vancouver winter.

Beautiful photography and such an interesting story about a place I can only go to though your post. I am reminded of a similar construction of a theater in my hometown, Casa Manana in Fort Wroth, TX. Something very unique in that architecture, isn't it?visiting from SITS

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